KABACAN, North Cotabato – For shooting it out with law enforcers, a suspected drug peddler long wanted by law here was killed during police anti-drug operation Monday.
Chief Insp. Bryan Placer, Kabacan town police chief, identified the slain suspect as Badjunaid Beldik, 40, of Barangay Poblacion, Kabacan.
Beldik’s three other cohorts peacefully yielded when the police, led by Placer, served search warrants issued by the local court against them.
They were identified as Akmad Blah Sandigan, 38, Abdul Mamasalabas Angkanan, 29 and Zacaria Ali Beldik, 41.
Placer said his team had four search warrants to be served to six houses in Sitio Lote, Barangay Kayaga, Kabacan and Purok Krislam in Barangay Poblacion.
As the lawmen were entering the village of Krislam shortly before 4 p.m. Monday, one of the suspects opened fire on police officers using his .38-caliber revolver.
A brief shootout ensued, killing Bedlik in the process.
The raiding team seized three heat-sealed shabu, a cal. 38 pistol and assorted shabu paraphernalia from the suspects.
Placer said Purok Krislam was tagged as a drug-infiltrated area in Kabacan repeatedly raided by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and local police since Oplan Tokhang was implemented in mid-2016.
Drug personalities lay-low after anti-drug operations and return to their illegal activities when PDEA and police are not focused on them. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
